Assad: Syrians support me

Published May 16th, 2012 - 15:46 GMT

The Syrian president Bashar al-Assad said he hoped the new French president Francois Hollande would think about the interests of France

The Syrian president Bashar al-Assad said he hoped the new French president Francois Hollande would think about the interests of France and change its policy toward Syria and the region. He made these comments in an interview broadcast Wednesday on Rossia 24 TV. "I hope the new president will think about the interests of France. I'm sure he does not want to continue to wreak havoc in the Middle East and throughout the Arab world," Assad said, adding that Paris was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands in Libya.

The Syrian leader also said the 7 May elections have shown that the people support the regime and has not succumbed to the threat of "terrorists.",

"The elections show that the majority of Syrians support the regime" he said, adding the Syrian "continue to support the path of reform" and were "not afraid from terrorists' threats,"